While Malwarebytes finds and clears most system infections without issues or problems, some types of malware and viruses can actually cause the program to not install, start or run. If Malwarebytes isn't working, the problem could also be your computer doesn't meet system requirements. Check that your system meets the requirements for Malwarebytes and if you think the system is infected, Malwarebytes provides a tool that can work around that to enable installation and scanning.

Verify Basic System Requirements

The Malwarebytes website doesn't list any specific system requirements for running the application other than versions of Windows that the program supports. Nevertheless, as with most other applications of its type, Malwarebytes runs best on computers that have a Pentium 4 or faster processor and have at least 512MB of RAM. Hard drive space should not be an issue on most computers, as Malwarebytes requires only about 25MB of free space to install. The application also requires an Internet connection for downloading and installing updates and the monitoring of websites and malicious files. Malwarebytes may work on older, slower machines but may be very slow or unresponsive if using other applications or multitasking. Therefore, if you're attempting to use Malwarebytes on an older machine, you may need to upgrade before you can use the program effectively.

Installation Prerequisites

Most of the time, installing Malwarebytes is requires only a few mouse clicks through the prompts. However, Malwarebytes does require certain optional Windows components be installed before you can install the application successfully. Before you can install and run Malwarebytes on a computer, you must download and install the latest version of the .NET Framework by Microsoft. Windows doesn't install the .NET Framework by default. Nevertheless, when you run Windows Updates for the first time, the operating system will prompt you to download and install it as an optional update. You can also download the .NET Framework manually from Microsoft Download Center (link in Resources).

Installation and Runtime Problems

If you already have Microsoft .NET Framework installed on your computer and Malwarebytes still won't install, chances are that the machine already has a virus or malware program preventing the installation. Some crafty malware and virus authors include code that can prevent the installation of Malwarebytes or corrupt the application when using the free version, which doesn't monitor your system continuously. If the machine becomes infected with such malware, installing Malwarebytes can seem impossible. However, Malwarebytes provides a Chameleon tool, which will enable you to install the application in stealth mode (link in Resources). Chameleon changes the names of required Malwarebytes files randomly during installation so that malware already present on the machine won't detect the installation or running of the program. Once you install Malwarebytes with the Chameleon tool, or use it to get Malwarebytes running again, you can then run the program normally to find and eradicate the malware that caused the installation or runtime problems.

Definition Updates

Once you have Malwarebytes installed and running properly, the application will still not remove and prevent malware infections unless you keep it updated. If you download and use the free version of Malwarebytes, you must update the application manually in most cases if you want to make sure that the definitions are up-to-date. If you use the Pro version and use the monitoring feature included with that version, Malwarebytes will update the malware database several times a day if new definitions are available. Updating the Malwarebytes database daily is essential to ensuring the application works as intended and doesn't become blocked or corrupted by malware. The professional version of Malwarebytes scans, blocks and removes infections automatically. However, if using the freeware version, you must run scans frequently to ensure that it keeps your system free from spyware and malware.

Resources

About the Author

Jeff Grundy has been writing computer-related articles and tutorials since 1995. Since that time, Grundy has written many guides to using various applications that are published on numerous how-to and tutorial sites. Born and raised in South Georgia, Grundy holds a Master of Science degree in mathematics from the Georgia Institute of Technology.